Court Sifts Legalities in Gay-Marriage Suits

Procedural Thicket Could Obscure Public's Yes-or-No Choice

WASHINGTON—For many Americans, the gay marriage question is simple: Should same-sex couples be entitled to the same status that traditionally has been accorded heterosexuals?

But for the Supreme Court, which is expected to issue two long-awaited gay marriage rulings this week, a thicket of legal issues could obscure the simple yes-or-no choice that voters, legislators and judges have made in dozens of states.